British Columbia·UpdatedA tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, has been issued for multiple parts of the B.C. coast after a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon.U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Center says local governments should activate emergency plansAkshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Jul 29, 2025 8:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 minute agoA sign in Bamfield, B.C., shows the community’s tsunami evacuation route on Oct. 11, 2023. Bamfield, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is among the areas under a tsunami advisory on Tuesday. (Kathryn Marlow/CBC)THE LATEST: Residents of much of coastal B.C. have been asked to avoid beaches and shorelines after a tsunami advisory was issued on Tuesday. An advisory is the second step in a three-tiered warning system, and it means strong currents are likely. Officials say an advisory means significant flooding isn’t expected, but strong currents could be dangerous for those near the water. The advisory covers B.C.’s central and north coasts, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spans Juan de Fuca Strait and Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. The District of Tofino on Vancouver Island says that tsunami activity may reach the community around 11:30 p.m. PT, with a wave height of around one foot (0.3 metres). Residents have been asked to avoid shorelines and beaches after a tsunami advisory was issued for multiple parts of the B.C. coast following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Centre says there was a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, with B.C. officials saying it occurred around 135 kilometres southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk around 4:25 p.m. PT.A tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, has been issued for B.C.’s north and central coasts, including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island.It also spans the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.B.C.’s tsunami zones are listed in this graphic from EmergencyInfoBC. On Tuesday, a tsunami advisory was issued for Zones A through D. (EmergencyInfoBC)Emergency officials say that tsunami waves arrive in a series and the first of them may not be the biggest, with tsunami activity expected in some regions of coastal B.C. late Tuesday night.A tsunami advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials. They say the current advisory means strong currents are likely in coastal regions.”Significant inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory, but coastal zones may be at risk due to strong currents,” reads an Emergency Info B.C. advisory.For Tsunami Notification Zones A, B, C, & D currently under Tsunami Advisory: • Stay out of the water. DO NOT go to the shore to observe currents or waves• Avoid low-lying coastal areas, harbors, marinas & beaches until emergency officials say it is safe• Monitor for… https://t.co/rMo16swgLj pic.twitter.com/9siotR5snt—@EmergencyInfoBCThe advisory adds strong waves and currents could drown or injure people who are in the water, and currents at beaches, harbours, marinas or bays could be especially dangerous.It had earlier advised boat operators in areas under a tsunami watch to move their boats out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet (55 metres) if time and conditions permit, and avoid shallow water and inlets if they are already at sea.A tsunami warning, which is the highest level, means move away from the water immediately.This graphic shows the three-tiered tsunami warning system used by officials in B.C. Currently, most of the B.C. coast is under an advisory. (EmergencyInfoBC)”So that’s what’s taking place right now in Kamchatka,” said John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada.He added Tuesday’s earthquake was the type of seismic movement that was most likely to generate a tsunami, and there was already confirmation of a tsunami being generated in the local region of Kamchatka.”Those waves can travel across the Pacific…. They can travel a long way when they’re out in the open ocean,” he told Jason D’Souza, host of CBC’s All Points West, just before 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday.WATCH | Tsunami advisory issued for much of B.C. coast: Massive earthquake in the Pacific Ocean prompts a tsunami watch for parts of B.C.CBC’s Darius Mahdavi reports on a massive earthquake in the Pacific Ocean which has led to a tsunami watch in parts of B.C. “The tsunami waves travel at about the same speed as a jet,” he added.The District of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island said in an emergency notification around 7 p.m. PT that people shouldn’t go to the shore to observe the waves.It says the National Tsunami Warning Center has indicated tsunami activity would reach Tofino around 11:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, with a wave height of around one foot (0.3 metres).Emergency Info B.C. says Langara Island, off the coast of Haida Gwaii, will see tsunami waves around 10:05 p.m. PT, but the wave height is expected to be less than 0.3 metres. The Tofino coastline is seen from above in this stock image. The community on the west coast of Vancouver Island said that tsunami activity could reach it by 11:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday. (fokke baarssen/Shutterstock)Warning issued for HawaiiThe U.S. Geological Survey, in an updated measurement on Tuesday evening, said the quake hit at a depth of 20.7 kilometres.A tsunami warning has been issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii, with the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center saying a tsunami from the quake had been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.”Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. local time.A tsunami warning is also in place for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands.Japan’s meteorological agency has issued a tsunami alert for Japan’s Pacific coast, upgrading an earlier advisory that warned of a tsunami of up to three metres across the Pacific coast of Japan.A tsunami warning is displayed on a television in Yokohama, near Tokyo on Wednesday after Japan issued alerts following a strong earthquakes off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. (Eugene Hoshiko/The Associated Press)ABOUT THE AUTHORAkshay Kulkarni is an award-winning journalist who has worked at CBC British Columbia since 2021. Based in Vancouver, he is most interested in data-driven stories. You can email him at akshay.kulkarni@cbc.ca.With files from All Points West and The Associated Press
Tsunami watch upgraded to advisory for much of B.C. coast after major earthquake near Russia
